


A Shadow in the Void

by HiraKiaShi



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Post-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Realm of Darkness (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 14:45:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12773274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiraKiaShi/pseuds/HiraKiaShi
Summary: The Darkness is a powerful influence on any mind. Even great Keyblade Masters have succumbed to its embrace. One can only carry on for so long in the dark until they become one. Even the brightest candles snuff out eventually, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke behind.





	A Shadow in the Void

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutley loved the ending for Fragmentary Passage, but if anyone has read the few works I have posted, I get a kick out of alternate endings where we don't exactly get that hopeful ending.   
> Here is just a drabble over what I think would happen if Aqua eventually lost hope over time in the darkness, and simply gave up fighting.   
> Take note that this isn't them finding her, but the exact moment where she gave up.

“How long do you think it will take to find her?” Riku followed loosely behind mickey. He tugged at the zippers along the dark cloak as he inspected their surroundings. The realm of Darkness is not exactly how he remembered it. Even though he felt as if he was in a comatose dream then, everything felt too real. He noticed too many things. The way the cobble pathway grinded against his boots, how the lights stubbornly flickered within dying lampposts, the way the wind, though unmoving, was everywhere.  
He pulled at the sleeves of the trench coat to try to distract himself. Riku did not miss the long coat in the slightest, but knew that it would protect him more than his normal wear.  
    “Gosh, I can’t really say for sure,” Mickey pondered, “Before, Aqua just showed up out of nowhere, but I don’t know if we will be so lucky this time.”  
    “I never really thought we would be here again. It feels so," he paused as the lampposts buzzed and flickered once more, "Different.."

Mickey chose not to respond and decided to concentrate on the creatures that spawned before them. Riku followed, his keyblade materializing with a flick of the wrist.  
He continued to ignore the same deep fear twist around his heart that reminded him too much of his first time here. 

    The fight was short lived, and Riku wasn't sure if it could truly be considered a fight. There were plenty of enemies, but they all seemed weak in comparison to previous Heartless they have fought while barging their way back in. He quietly hoped it could stay like this, but shook the idea out of his head and continued to search the town for any signs. Which was hardly anything. The most Mickey came up with was that the reason behind the weak heartless is that Aqua must have incapacitated the stronger ones recently, but that was really only a theory.   
    They proceeded to a castle, only to find the interior dark and battle torn. Lavish carpets were dulled to a grey, and many stairways were inaccessible as they were on the verge of becoming dust. Almost every large and munificent chandelier was knocked from their perches and laid scattered and broken along the floors of the castle. Riku tried to ignore the loud crunch of glass as they had no choice but to step along the wreckage.   
    “I’m not sure what kind of things Aqua would leave behind. It isn’t like this place gives you time to rest or recover. This place doesn’t make you feel hunger or fatigue like the real world.”  
    “You might be right, but I was thinking maybe she left notes? Maybe she would have kept a journal of some sorts to log her memories or interactions.”  
    “I don’t think anyone would have time to consider writing their memories here, Mickey. If they did, I don’t think she would be one to let it lie around.”

    Mickey seemed to deflate at the at the point, but agreed all the same. It made the new Master realize how in the dark they both were here.   
Riku always could follow Mickey and trust him to lead the way. Now it wasn’t so simple. 

    “Come on,” He spoke after a moment, “Moping about not knowing where to start isn’t getting us anywhere.”

 

///

The sky was dark and void of any stars. There was no wind, no crickets or any other noise that would make one believe it was night. Not even the abnormal blue and purple lights that appeared in the barren sky above brought what light it could in the dark. It was nothing but greys and blacks. There was nothing that would give someone the idea that the sun ever touched this world, now saturated in darkness. The grass beneath the creatures toes were just as black as they were. The trees might as well have been monsters themselves from the way their branches twisted in grotesque shapes.   
Even the water was lifeless. Stagnant and still like it was another patch of land to walk on. No wind to give it ripples, no moon to give it movement.   
Aqua crouched down beside the water's edge and dipped her keyblade into the lake. Ripples lazily stretched out from the contact.   
She stared at the ripples as they disappeared. The little life she had given it already gone.   
She lifted her keyblade from the water, and felt that it was bone dry.   
Not a single droplet fell from it. 

    She frowned and flicked her wrist. The blade came down with more force into the water, making a quiet splashing sound  as it made contact, but the water still reacted as slowly as it did before. Small ripples once again skimmed along the surface. She scowled and stepped into the harmless element. She felt no water cling to her legs or shoes as she continued stepping in the water.   
    At the center of the lake, despite how deep and wide it seemed, the water only came up a few inches below her knees. Aqua let her keyblade graze along the surface and watched the slow ripples once more. This time, she did not wait for them to leave before striking the water below her in a long and aggressive sweep.   
No splashes. The same ripples came and went like the rest.   
She striked again.   
Again.   
Again. 

She continued to hit the water furiously, and eventually resorted to just kicking at it, throwing her hands in it like a child who lost their temper. There was no telling how long she went at it, but she eventually grew tired and collapsed in her hands and knees.  
      
    “No matter how hard I fight, it is all the same outcome.”

Aqua Stared at the pitch black surface of the water. Even with her body in it, the ripples ceased long ago as if she was no longer there. She was no longer a force of light shining against the darkness like before.   
    “I’m nothing but a shadow in the void.”

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to see how Riku and Mickey would find Aqua, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about that interraction. I guess it is still a thought process, but not one I plan to touch into anytime soon. If i do, I'll make it a part two and make it much more lengthy than this. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Kudos, comments, criticism, and anything in between is greatly appreciated!


End file.
